


Disney Royals

by Howlingdawn



Category: Aquaman (2018)
Genre: Disneyland, F/M, Family Fluff, Gen, Humor, Requested, Spoilers, also you can pry my headcanon of mera's fear of heights from my cold dead hands, aquaman spoilers, arthur is a good dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 13:13:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17305247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Howlingdawn/pseuds/Howlingdawn
Summary: AQUAMAN SPOILERS WITHIN. For Arthur and Mera's tenth wedding anniversary, they and their two kids go to Disneyland. Mera has some reservations.





	Disney Royals

**Author's Note:**

> Fluff is hard man, but this fic was as fun to write as it was challenging. Fair warning, though, I know very little about kids, or about Disneyland (I've been once and I mostly remember the Guardians ride and this one food cart with the most heavenly mashed potatoes I have ever had the pleasure to eat), so I hope I did it all justice, but don't like flame me if I didn't

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, wake up, wake up, wake up!"

Mera bit back a groan, plastering a smile on her face as she opened her eyes in the hotel room. In front of her, bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet, was her eight-year-old daughter, Lani. Arthur had already wrestled her thick, dark red curls into a braid, with bits of white on her light brown skin where she hadn't sat still long enough for him to fully rub in the sunscreen. Her shirt proclaimed in sparkly, bright pink lettering "I am the princess!" and her sneakers lit up with every bounce.

At the sight of her waking up, Lani bounced away. "Daddy, her eyes are open!"

Her daughter was replaced by her husband. "About time," he teased, kissing her forehead as he set a cup of apple juice and a Pop-Tart on her nightstand. The clock on it read 7:29.

Mera swatted at him. "You know we only got here a few hours ago."

"I do, but they don't care," he answered, gesturing at their kids. Lani was now bouncing around Ronon, her five-year-old brother, as he huddled in a chair trying to read despite her interruptions. His brown hair was neatly combed, and Arthur had convinced him to wear human clothing, today a simple white shirt and khaki capris. There was no sign of sunscreen on him, but Mera knew Arthur would've slathered it onto his pale, sensitive skin.

"Come on," Arthur said, pulling her upright. "Bruce paid for us to have fun as a family, and that's exactly what we're gonna do. So you eat, and I'll brush your hair."

_Go to Disneyland,_ Bruce had said. _It'll be fun,_ he said. _Some good quality time_ , he'd said. _It's a landmark experience for every kid,_ he'd said.

So far, that had consisted of a long flight in the deathtrap humans called an airplane, landing in the middle of night, and spending too few hours trying to sleep on an uncomfortable land bed. And now they would spend days riding contraptions that Mera trusted even less than a plane to keep her kids safe.

She would've preferred nearly anything else for their tenth wedding anniversary.

She bit into the Pop-Tart, pleased to realize he'd gotten her strawberry. He brushed her hair, tucked it into a ponytail, then went to check their bag, making sure it held everything they would need. Mera hurried to finish getting ready, and then they headed out, Mera holding Ronon's hand while Lani raced ahead.

"Hey, buddy, why don't you go make sure your sister doesn't crash into anybody?" Arthur said, nudging Ronon forward. He nodded, hurrying to catch up with her.

As their son left earshot, Arthur wrapped his arm around Mera's shoulders. "This'll be fun, I promise. And if they get thrown from a rollercoaster, well, they're Atlantean, they'll be fine."

"Arthur!"

"Kidding."

She rolled her eyes. "You sure know how to make a mother feel better."

"You know I'd never let anything happen to them, Mera."

"Remember when Lani got kidnapped?"

"…Again. I wouldn't let anything happen to them again."

Mera leaned against him, watching them play I Spy as they waited for the elevator. She took a deep breath, preparing to face the scorching desert sun. "All right. Fun mode activated."

Arthur waited a moment, then arched his eyebrow.

"Ok, I need caffeine first."

"Me too."

They scrounged up some coffee before heading to the park, barely managing to keep the kids close as they waited in line to get in. Finally, they were in, and their eyes were wider than dinner plates. Lani started bouncing eagerly, and beside her, Ronon stretched onto his tiptoes, trying to see over the crowd.

"C'mere, buddy," Arthur said, crouching down. Eagerly, Ronon scrambled up to sit on his shoulders, holding Arthur's hair to steady himself. As he rose to his full height, Ronon gasped.

"I love Disneyland," he whispered.

Mera laughed. "You haven't done anything yet!"

"No, but I love it."

Lani tugged on Arthur's shirt. "I wanna see, I wanna see!"

Mera reached to take Ronon, setting him down and holding his hand to keep him close, and Arthur hefted Lani into the air. He glanced up to see her jaw drop to the floor, her eyes darting everywhere, trying to see everything at once.

Mera tugged Arthur's phone from his pocket to take a picture.

\-----

"That. Was. Awesome!" Ronon exclaimed. He and Lani high-fived.

Mera wobbled out of the ride, clutching Arthur's hand like a lifeline. "Are we still moving?" she whispered.

"Ok, rollercoasters, not your mom's thing," Arthur decided. They'd spent most of the morning on the kid-friendly rides, and that had been the first adult one they'd tried. As they passed by the bank of photos of the riders, Arthur spotted theirs: he and the kids were screaming with joy, hands flung up. Mera had her eyes screwed shut, gripping the bar in front of her hard enough to dent it.

_Time to switch activities._

"Who's hungry?" Arthur asked.

"Me!" the kids chorused.

They started to run forward, but Arthur grabbed Ronon's hand. "Hey! Stay close, we wouldn't want to get separated."

Ronon slowed obediently, but Lani bounced in frustration, staring at the park unfolding before them. Arthur exchanged a glance with Mera, who shook her head affectionately. "You can run later, Lani. Give the rest of us a chance to keep up for now."

"But I wanna run _now_."

Arthur waited for her to turn her back, then dropped Ronon's hand to surge forward, scooping Lani into his arms. She squealed, giggling as she playfully smacked his shoulder. "Hey!"

"If you wanna walk," Arthur said, tickling her side, "then you walk. Ok?"

"Ok!" she said breathlessly between laughs. "Ok, I'll walk."

"That's my girl," he said, setting her down. "Now, let's find a spot to eat."

Arthur lead them into the restaurant, snagging them a table while Mera took the kids up to order. Lani wolfed down two hot dogs and a side of fries, Arthur ate the biggest burger they had, Ronon delicately nibbled down a corn dog, and Mera munched on a salad, relaxing as the family talked and joked around. She smoothed her son's mussed hair, and he dipped his corn dog into the ranch dressing drizzled over her lunch. Arthur and Lani just tried – and failed – to be sneaky about stealing the other's fries.

\-----

Mera stared up, up, up at the rollercoaster Lani wanted to ride.

_It's for my family, it's for my family, it's for my family…_

That didn't quell the anxiety rising within her.

_I can betray my former fiancé, calm the surging sea, swim through a swarm of the creatures of the Trench, fight battles even the fiercest warriors would flinch from… but I can't ride a rollercoaster._

Ronon slipped his little hand into hers. "I can stay with you, Mommy."

Mera looked down at him, her heart warmed by the gesture. "No, it's all right, you can go with Dad and Lani."

He just shifted closer to her. "I wanna stay with you."

Mera exchanged a glance with Arthur, who nodded his assent. "All right, sweetheart, we'll stay here."

Arthur clapped Lani on the shoulder. "Wanna race?"

Her face lit up, and they bolted away.

"Hey! Don't- …hit anybody," Mera warned empty air. "Why do I bother."

Ronon laughed.

"Well," Mera said, turning around, "what do you wish to do? We could sit, or shop-"

Ronon's eyes lit up. "Shopping!"

"Well, you've certainly taken after your grandmother there," Mera chuckled, remembering the agonizing hours spent trailing her mother through the mall. He lifted his arms in silent question, and she scooped him up. "Tired of chasing your sister around?"

He nodded, yawning, but he didn't dare close his eyes as they entered the nearest store. Knowing what he wanted, she bypassed the selection of shirts and hats, headed straight for the stuffed animals. Gleefully, he reached out to pick up a baby Dory.

"Don't you already have a Dory?"

"I have a Nemo. Not a Dory."

"Ah."

He tucked Dory under one arm, and Mera knew there would be no convincing him to put her down. They wandered through the store, and Mera smiled every time his eyes lit up, reveling in the representations of the movies and books Arthur and Tom showed him when they were on the surface.

_Maybe this trip was a good idea after all._

She took him to the counter to buy the fish.

\-----

Over the wind rushing through his hair and his raucous laughter, Arthur could hear Lani's screams of excitement. That was more than enough to make him laugh louder – just a day where the adrenaline didn't come from near-death experiences, and where he was guaranteed to get to hug his family whenever he wanted.

It was priceless.

The coaster slowed to a halt. He looked right, to see Lani with her face flushed, hair mussed, and eyes shining. "I. _Love_. Rollercoasters."

Arthur laughed. "Me too, kiddo, me too."

Energy not yet spent, they raced each other out of the coaster. He let her win, putting up just enough of a fight to make it feel real, swooping down to scoop her up just before she could plunge into the crowd. She laughed, but she didn't fight it, and that's when he knew that even she was tiring.

They found Mera and Ronon not far away on a bench. Ronon was sitting on her lap, reading his book, while Mera just soaked in the sun. "Hey, he got a Dory!" Lani exclaimed enviously. "I want a Nala."

Mera lifted her head at the sound of her daughter's voice, and Arthur relaxed at the sight of content expression. She tapped Ronon's shoulder, and he reluctantly let her put the book away.

"And we will get you a Nala," Arthur promised, setting her down when they reached them.

"I think it's time for the pool," Mera said, picking Ronon up as she stood. "What do you say, little ones?"

"And then dinner?" Lani checked.

Mera laughed. "Yes, and then dinner."

"Yes!"

\-----

Ronon was all too happy to change into his orange Atlantean skinsuit, while Lani donned her favorite blue and pink one-piece swimsuit. Mera wore her own green skinsuit, and Arthur a pair of swim trunks. Then they hurried to the pool.

Mera slid gratefully into the deep end. She couldn't risk breathing in the chlorine, but she reveled in the feel of the cool water taking her weight, washing away the grime, lifting and toying with her hair. She drifted to the bottom, enjoying the peace for a moment, before tapping the concrete and rising to the surface.

She broke through at the same time as her family, grinning. Ronon hardly took a breath before diving back under, twirling around in one of his favorite underwater gymnastics moves. He surged upwards, bringing his arm down in a massive splash aimed straight at his sister.

Lani shrieked, smashing her hand down in retaliation. Mera ducked away from her splashing children, watching as they started chasing each other around the pool. "Should we tell them to be careful?"

Arthur lifted his arms from the water, draping them over the edge of the pool. "How much good would that really do?"

"Fair. They'll calm down in a minute."

"Yup."

Leaving Arthur to his lounging, Mera swam. She dove, twisting and flipping and spinning, surfacing only for quick breaths before diving back to the comfort of the water. A few minutes later, muscles stretched and energy spent, she surfaced to rest.

Only to find a gaggle of kids staring at her with expressions ranging from confusion to disbelief to awe.

She started, confused. Looking around, she spotted her kids at the edge of the group. Lani pointed at her and then gestured at Ronon's outfit; he tugged on Lani's hair before pointing at Mera. Lani knocked his hand away, and Mera just furrowed her brows in confusion.

Cautiously, one little girl, a blonde with wide blue eyes, crept closer to her. "Are you… are you Ariel?" she breathed.

The name sounded very familiar, but Mera couldn't place it until Arthur swam forward and whispered in her ear. "The mermaid Disney princess," he said, too quietly for the kids to hear. "They think you're a Disney princess."

_Oh._

Suddenly, her kids' gestures made sense. Her red hair, green outfit, her swimming – of course the humans would make the mistake.

_What's something Ariel would do, what's something she would do…_

Something tapped her knee. Glancing down surreptitiously, she saw Ronon, offering up a plastic fork. Suddenly, Mera remembered the contest they had all had in the first month after Ronon saw the movie for the first time – who could call every fork they saw a dinglehopper first.

Mera put on her best friendly queen smile, taking the utensil from her son and holding it up in front of the girl. "As surely as this is a dinglehopper," she said, tapping it against the girl's hair.

The girl gasped in joy, and suddenly Mera was surrounded, questions and requests for selfies flying at her from all sides. Smiling, she obliged, and when the last parent pulled their child away, night had fallen. Turning around, Mera saw her family watching, beaming brighter than the stars shining above.

She beamed right back at them.

\-----

Later, after enjoying a good dinner, Arthur carried a half-asleep Lani to bed, setting her down gently and tucking her in. She shifted a little, yawning, then curled around her new Nala and completely passed out. Arthur smiled, leaning down to kiss her hair, and waiting to do the same for Ronon after Mera tucked him in before leaving the room.

Mera flopped onto the bed, and Arthur flopped down beside her, gathering her into his arms. She let out a contented sigh, snuggling against him, head resting on his chest. For a few minutes, for the first time all day, they let quiet surround them.

But Arthur had a question he'd been waiting to ask all day.

"How is it you can dive into a battle without hesitation, but a rollercoaster terrifies you?"

She didn't even bother opening her eyes as she lazily smacked his shoulder. "There's a difference between fighting to protect those you love, and riding a very rickety-looking contraption at reckless speeds and terrifying heights just for a brief thrill."

Arthur laughed, catching her hand and rubbing it. She forgave him instantly, relaxing into the touch. "But you had fun today."

Mera nodded. "I did. We did. It was nice, Arthur. Really nice."

"Good," he murmured. "Ready to do it again tomorrow?"

She groaned.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're wondering, yes, Ronon is named after Jason Momoa's Stargate: Atlantis character. I couldn't resist. And yes, that line about Lani getting kidnapped will be a future fic


End file.
